Nintendo Sales Way Down In January: Pachter

According to industry analyst Michael Pachter, Nintendo's sales were way, way down in the month of January. How far down? 31.5 percent compared to the same period of time last year. Ouch!

Before you start crying for Nintendo, the company still leads the current console market with 34.5 million Wii units sold in the U.S., compared with Microsoft's Xbox 360 selling 25.8 million, and the Sony's PlayStation 3 selling 15.7 million.

It makes sense that Nintendo's sales would be falling; after all, the company has been riding the crest of the huge Wii wave for five years or so, and eventually, the wave was going to crest and break. The challenge for Nintendo: Coming up with something to cause the next wave to form.Is it the 3DS? Another iteration of the Wii? Or will we see something else entirely from Nintendo?